The turn around time can vary from a few days to weeks. There is a way to send off the form, information and photo as "expedited". It costs more, but is worth it if you are working within a tight time frame. Who handles it-first the clear of the court who makes sure you ahve the form filled out properly and that you have the right size photos and the proper check amounts. Then it gets mailed to the Passport Agency where it may be handled by several people from the mail room clerk to the actual person who does the processing. My husband's passport was delayed as much as 12 weeks because someone else was using his social security number and he had to jump a lot of hoops to prove who he was. WE finally ended up calling our Congressman, John Mica, to help. Interestingly enough, he has a person on his staff who deals with passport issues. Tells me that there are more problems that one is aware of. Of interest is that you have to submit your driver's license and/or birth certificate so one is potentially open to identity theft.